


Liability

by metaphoricalmess



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: 26 y/o Five, AA meetings, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bad Sibling Number Five, But He Grows Maybe..., C-PTSD, Coming Out, Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, F/F, Five is Selfish, Good Sibling Klaus Hargreeves, Good Sibling Vanya Hargreeves, Heavy Angst, Klaus Hargreeves Deserves Better, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Klaus Hargreeves-centric, Klaus is trying his best, Lesbian Vanya Hargreeves, M/M, NSFW On Marked Chapters, No Apocalypse, No One Gets Why They Like Eachother, Number Five | The Boy Has Issues, Number Five | The Boy-centric, OC Is Vanya's Love Interest, Older!Five Hargreeves, Original Character(s), Original Female Character - Freeform, Plots about the Other 36, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Relapses, Shared Trauma, Still 58 Mentally, Subplot with Vanya, The Other 36, They Don't Either, Trauma, Vanya Hargreeves Needs A Hug, comphet, serious relationship, struggling relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:14:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 14,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22928551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/metaphoricalmess/pseuds/metaphoricalmess
Summary: Five did the impossible; he stopped the apocalypse.With the commission left in shambles, Number Five gets the second chance he had been fighting for. However, adjusting to a normal life would prove to be more difficult than he could ever imagine.
Relationships: Klaus Hargreeves & Vanya Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy & Klaus Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy & Vanya Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy/Klaus Hargreeves, Vanya Hargreeves/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 37
Kudos: 197





	1. On Again, Off Again

"And that was it. I was finally dead, at least for a little bit. Each time it happened I got more used to it. You'd think I would have just kicked the bucket the first time, but no, no no, I always came back. Part of me just really wanted to die, y'know, but there's that nagging underneath, and it's fuckin' annoying. All the what-ifs, all the "missed opportunities". If I weren't me I would've been scared into sobering up after the first time. But here I am with a million overdose stories and not a single achievement to my name. Isn't that crazy?" 

Klaus always went over his time. If it bothered anyone in the room, he wouldn't know. Some watched him with pity glazing over their eyes, and others sat on the edge of their seat wanting to hear more. 

"I used to do the same." A young woman with pale blonde hair broke the silence. Her sunken eyes reminded him of his own. "Till I fell in a coma. I was out for weeks, and when I woke up, nothing was the same. Sometimes I wonder if God giving me another chance was just, just a mistake." 

He held eye contact with her and leaned in towards the center of the circle. "No way, Kim. Wasn't a mistake." Klaus pondered for a second to try and think of something good to say. The bald spots on her head made his heart ache. "The universe is just, well, it's a big fucked up game of chance. If you're here, you're here." 

The other members of the group just nodded, and the conversation shifted. These stories attracted a lot of spirits who lingered nearby, so each meeting was like a training session for Klaus' ear. He had to learn how to differentiate between the dead and the living now that he was sober, and so far, it was working. He'd occasionally reply to a spirit and get a ton of weird looks, but it happened less and less the more he came. Things were looking pretty alright. 

Klaus told a few jokes near the end; he never wanted these people to go home thinking about it. He grabbed a handful of Hershey's kisses on his way out, giving out a round of goodbyes as he clambered upstairs. Meetings were held in the basement of some counseling building he could never remember the address of. Besides, Five had it. 

Speak of the devil. Five's car was parked cleanly at one of the meters directly in front of the building. His dark eyes scanned a weathered, hard-back book, while his phone rested upside down on the dash. Seeing his trademark sneer brought a smile to Klaus' face. 

Five didn't even flinch when Klaus jumped into the car. 

"Hey, you're actually on time today." Klaus said, snickering afterwards. 

Five closed his book with a loud clap. "How was it?" 

"Oh, y'know, a circle jerk of self-pity and trauma." 

"Hm. I don't think you'd be smiling if that was the case." 

The curly-headed man just rolled his eyes. He leaned in to plant a kiss on Five's cold cheek knowing he'd be met with, well, nothing. Five's lips curled into a tiny smirk before shifting the car into reverse. 

"What's the plan today big guy?" Five was shorter than Klaus by a couple inches. He really only called him that because of his massive ego. "Dinner? Date? Party?" 

"Actually, none of that. I finally found a lead." 

Klaus could practically feel any and all excitement he had drain out of his body within seconds. "Oh really." 

"What? Don't look at me like that. This is important." Five said, scoffing. "There's a rumor spreading around about 'strange activity' near a water hole in some town south of here. Kids in perfect health turning up dead at the bottom." 

Klaus popped a kiss in his mouth. "Just sounds like mommy and daddy didn't do a great job teaching 'em how to swim." 

"Great, you know what? You can stay here if you don't want to go." 

"Well I'd rather you stay here _with_ me. We can lay down together and do couple shit!" 

"Not happening, Klaus. Whatever this is, it could lead us to the others. If there are more of us out there, God only knows what they're capable of." 

"Mind their own business, keep it to themselves, yeah, sounds like we shouldn't go looking for the other 36 if you ask me." 

"Good thing I didn't ask." 

An awkward silence permeated through the car. Klaus habitually kept eating kisses and leaning his head against the window. The drizzle outside got heavier, so he watched the water make interesting patterns. It distracted him enough to keep the wandering spirits off his mind. 

"So, are you going?" 

"Yeah yeah... If you kiss me first." 

Five shook his head. "Alright." At the next stop light Five leaned over and tilted his head slightly. He always hesitated before kissing Klaus, and today was no exception. Klaus didn't mind closing the gap first, but as soon as he got a taste of Five, he wanted more. He almost pulled Five out of his seat while kissing him, and Five had to push himself off when he heard cars honking behind him. "Jesus-you said a kiss." 

"Sorry, should I have specified a good kiss?" 

Five readied a shot back at Klaus, but his eyes caught a glimpse of something down the street. It was glowing a vibrant purple, and kept getting brighter. He squinted, trying to make out what it was between the cars. Was that... a person? 

"Five-" 

"Shhh." 

"... Five-" 

"..." 

"Five!" 

"What is it?" Five snapped as he turned to glare at Klaus. That's when he noticed why the cars in front of him had stopped moving. People were running past his car, dropping their bags, drinks, anything they had on them just to get away. 

"I think we might've found something." 

The glowing figure lifted a tow truck with the slight of it's hand and watched it crumple as she closed her fist. Five could hear the screeching of metallic friction as it kept folding in on itself. Then it got closer, and closer, and... 

Shit.


	2. You'll Be Fine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five calls for a family meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! 
> 
> I should clear this up: the academy is still standing and Pogo/Grace are alive! It was avoided before Vanya could kill them. Small detail but it's important going forward. 
> 
> That being said, here's chapter two.  
> \- Moon

Five wouldn't stop pacing. Klaus was done with it. 

He was sprawled out on the couch tossing an Ambrosia apple up into the air and catching it before it came down. His ears only half listened to whatever Five was going on about. Honestly, it started to get annoying. How ironic. 

There was a scar across Klaus' forehead that only got partial coverage from a neon pink band-aid. Other than that, his skin was clear, and his curls were bouncy from just recently being washed. Five on the other hand... Oh boy. He still had dirt and gravel streaks across the front of his suit, and his face was speckled with dried blood. His hair? Klaus actually liked how messy and matted it had become. 

"Are you listening?" Five asked, leaning over the couch to swipe the apple out of the air. 

Klaus groaned. "Ugh... _No_." 

His upper lip curled into a sneer. "Of course you aren't. Moron." 

"Hey, no name calling. That was your rule, remember?" Klaus sat up on the couch and put his elbows on the back of it. He gave Five 'the eyes', to which Five immediately averted his. 

"Right, sorry." He said, sighing. "It's just important. I want you to pay attention." 

"I think it'd be easier if you didn't smell like you just crawled out of a nuclear war-zone." Insert his odd little giggle-laugh here. "Seriously. Take a shower. I'll keep a look out for Diego and little Vanya." 

"I can only trust you as far as I can throw you... Don't go snooping." 

"Okay, Dad. You have my word." 

The apple was tossed back into the air, to which he caught again. Klaus sunk back into the couch as he heard Fives footsteps get dimmer and dimmer till they were eventually swallowed by the Academy. He lifted his head and strained his ear to make sure he was really gone before jumping up, gazing around for something good... 

He headed to the kitchen and opened all the pantry doors to sift through whatever was inside. What was Luther buying nowadays? Hm... To Klaus' joy there was a plethora of junk food, or 'guilty pleasures' according to the oh-so fit Number One. Sugar was Klaus' new craving. It kept him distracted. 

Shoving packets of gushers and fruit roll-ups into his pockets, he heard the front doors open. The heavy footsteps implied it was Luther, but they were followed by some others, probably everyone. Everyone but Allison of course... 

"Yoohoo! Hey party people!" 

"Klaus-" Luther stepped into the living room, immediately giving Klaus a glare. They all started to make their way towards him. " _Did you go through my stuff_?" 

"I just took a few snacks. I'm sure you won't miss 'em." 

"Right, whatever. Where's Five?" 

Klaus pointed towards the foyer. "He's showering. Might not want to talk to him in there. Or in general." 

"Is he alright?" Vanya asked. She walked up to give Klaus a light hug. "You look great, by the way." 

"Oh, thank you. I know." Klaus said, followed by a sigh. "He's just pissed about his precious car, I guess." 

"About that." Diego spoke, leaning against the counter. "What the hell happened? The news is going fucking crazy." 

"Hell if I know! We were almost crushed out there by... something. If Five didn't have powers, then..." Klaus clapped his hands together dramatically. "Car sandwich anyone?" 

"Well that something caused a lot of property damage, and almost killed multiple people." Luther said. 

"Five said it was a woman. But I didn't see shit." 

Vanya furrowed her eyebrows. "Like... One of us?" 

"Glad you finally caught on." Diego gave Vanya a side-eye. 

"Five wants to track her down, but I-" 

"We have to track her down, Klaus. Who knows what else she can do." 

Klaus cracked his neck by turning his head to the side and rolled out the goosebumps that had begun to settle. "Yeah, well, count me out on this one. I'm not going through _more_ of this bullshit that could kill us." The tone in Klaus' voice was darker than normal. He was finding it easier to get serious with the others. 

"There's no 'counting out'," Diego said. "We're in this together." 

" _We're in this together_ yeah, as if you guys really want me to help." 

"Klaus. We said we were sorry, for before." Luther was calm despite Klaus' growing annoyance. "Whatever this is... We need you." 

'Klaus, you should help them.' 

Oh, right. Ben. Klaus almost forgot he was there. Ben liked to only show up when he needed to push Klaus, or just hang around to mindlessly chat about everything, yet nothing at all. "Alright, alright you guys... Fine. But I want more gushers from this." 

Luther rolled his eyes. "Help yourself." 

The four of them ran through the events again, and again, testing Klaus' terrible memory till he gave every minute detail about the figure. It boiled down to a smaller, feminine body that radiated magenta light. It somehow used this energy to control other objects. That was it, that was all they had. 

"You didn't see what they looked like, or anything?" 

"No, I've told you. I only saw a vague figure." Klaus groaned loudly and plopped more gushers into his mouth. "Like I said, wait for Five." 

Pogo had wandered downstairs to join the siblings, occasionally chiming in with your usual Pogo one-liner. However, Klaus noted that he didn't seem all too concerned about it, and even looked... bored? He didn't say anything though, losing that train of thought faster than it came as Five re-entered the scene. 

He still had the same suit on, but it looked like he at least made an attempt to clean it. Five always looked so superficially clean, as if dust just wasn't _allowed_ to settle on him. There was a forbidden air surrounding him that Klaus always wanted to soil. 

"That's better."

Five just nodded, not giving Klaus much attention. He got that way when they were around. "Good. You're all here." 

"Except Allison." Luther mentioned. 

"I don't expect her to keep flying out here at the drop of a hat. Besides. Most of you is good enough." 

"So what's going on, Five? Why is all this happening?" 

Five blew air out of his nose. "I don't know. In all timelines, the world ended a year ago. Now that it hasn't, everything falls back to chance." 

"Right. This person could be another Vanya-level threat is what you're saying?" Vanya tensed as Diego gave her yet another glare. Klaus moved in to put his arm around her. 

"Not likely, but possible." 

"The other 36. We need to find out what happened to them." 

"I've already tried." Five sighed. "Most were adopted or given away. Some even died. It's almost impossible to track them." 

"Almost. But not completely." 

"Give it a rest, Luther. There are other means." 

"Like what? What other means are there?" Luther kept probing, which Klaus could see was annoying Five. 

"They must be somewhere near the city. Diego can track down the police and ask if they know anything about the incident. Luther, we'll trim all the databases in the area for any other odd occurrences." Five turned his gaze to look pointedly at Klaus. "You two. You'll go to the waterhole, and tell me what you find." 

Klaus' arm slipped from Vanya's shoulders. "You're making me go? Without you?" 

Five's face burned. Everyone in the room knew him and Klaus had... something going on. But he was embarrassed, especially when Klaus would just say anything around the others. "You'll be fine." The corners of his mouth twitched. 

Diego coughed to break the awkward tension. "We can do that. Sure. I'll go now." 

"Yep. Let's get started in the morning, Five." Luther stood after Diego did. The latter went for the front door as Luther clambered up the stairs. 

Klaus' chest throbbed with something he didn't want to feel at the moment. Vanya said her goodbyes to Five, and told Klaus she would come by their apartment in the morning once she called to cancel her tutoring sessions. 

They stared at each other when the room was empty. Five looked like he was going to have a stroke. 

"So. Sending me away so quickly, huh?" 

"That's not it, Klaus." Five crossed his arms as Klaus stepped closer. "I don't trust Luther to-" 

Klaus cut him off with a kiss. It was deep from the get-go, and a bit rough for his style, but he couldn't help it. He was pissed at Five, and the only thing he could think to do was just go for it. Five was caught off guard, but he didn't protest, quickly opening his mouth for Klaus. Neither were more over-bearing than the other, matching in roughness and equally tugging at each other the longer it went on. Five pulled Klaus' curls while his other hand squeezed his shoulder. Klaus kept a firm hand clenched around the middle of Five's back, then moved the other to palm and squeeze Five through his pants. 

Five broke the kiss then, placing both hands on Klaus' shoulders and rising to his toes. His face was angled up towards Klaus while his eyes fluttered closed. He bit his lip aggressively as he began to squirm. "God, Klaus- not here-" 

"Oh, I see." Klaus shrugged, letting go of Five. "After I get back then." 

Five slowly opened his eyes, then narrowed them. "What?" 

Klaus moved. He went to grab his jacket and throw it around his shoulders. "Come on, Five. We'll do it when I get back. Besides, _you'll be fine_ , won't you?" 

Five looked like he was going to pop a blood vessel standing there with his flushed face. Klaus felt satisfied, eyeing the tent in Five's pants before disappearing to his room. 

It'll be a long couple of days.


	3. Ave Maria

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus and Vanya visit a small woodland community looking for clues.

Klaus was quiet. He sat in Vanya's cramped car with his head slumped against the window. His leg bounced rapidly as he watched the city-scape slowly turn into lush greens and waves of grain. Rain still pelted the earth, covering the car in a slippery glaze. 

Vanya cleared her throat. "Are you alright?" 

"Exceptional. Fantastic." Klaus' voice flat-lined, missing the usual lilt. 

"You can talk to me." 

"Well if you insist, dear sister. I'll indulge you with my oh-so interesting love life." Klaus said as he sat up straight in his seat. He put his feet up on the dash. "Is it weird to be tired of how a person just _is_? Like, you love them, but you don't like them too much. At least not on the surface." 

"I think that's how you're supposed to feel about family." 

"Right, but we're not family. Are we? Is this incest? I don't even want to think about that."

"Um, well, I wouldn't say so. Since Five disappeared, he's like a childhood friend to most of us." She widened her eyes "Don't tell him I said that." 

"Lips are sealed, baby... Say, have you ever been 'in love'?"

Vanya paused for a long moment. Klaus couldn't tell what she was thinking. She always looked so serene. "I don't think I have been. I think I, I tried to be, but not really." 

"That's fine, that's fine, you'll have your turn. I honestly didn't think I'd get over Dave." 

"Are you?" 

"What, over him?" 

"Yeah. Are you?" 

Klaus tapped his knee as his leg started to bounce again. "Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not. Not sure." 

"How much does Five know about him?" 

"Pfft, less than you. He _hates_ when I bring him up." Klaus started to murmur. "Probably why I don't think about it..." 

"I'm not an expert, but," Vanya started, then paused to turn onto a service road, "I think you should talk to Five more."

"Thanks. Easier said than done." 

"I'm sorry, I'm not helping-" 

"No, no, stop doing that. Apologizing. I'm just... being a jerkhole." Klaus patted Vanya's shoulder and smiled when she did. Maybe Five did the right thing; hanging out with Vanya was a treat that Klaus never expected. 

It took an hour and a half to get to North Riemas. Five sent them directions, so they followed google maps straight to the town center. It was littered with over-grown Lodgepole pines and Paper-birch that extended into a deep forest. Most of the buildings were painted with dark, muted colors, built partially from fractured brick. Everything was weathered. Klaus couldn't see any buildings that didn't have some type of imperfection; until they came up on the church. The Catholic church had a freshly cut lawn and looked as if it had been recently painted in stellar white. A cross christened it's spire, reflecting whatever light peaked through the clouds ahead. 

"Klaus, look." Ben, who had been sitting silently in the back, leaned forward and pointed adjacent to the church. The yard extended into a gated _cemetery_. Klaus could barely make-out the headstones over the overgrown grass. Many figures moved in and out of the aisles, he could only see four of them clearly. 

"Fucking shit."

"What is it?" Vanya asked in a panic. 

"It's a damn cemetery." Klaus' head started to throb. "You got Advil, V?"

"Oh, yeah. Just let me park first." Vanya pulled into the Church parking lot. "I'm so sorry Klaus. This is where Five-" 

"Klaus, you can do this. Just stay away from the graveyard, and you'll be fine-" 

"-something about a Priest making those waterhole articles-" 

Klaus groaned and grasped at his hair. "God, one at a time! Please!" 

Ben leaned back in his seat shaking his head. Vanya just nodded with growing anxiety and searched around for the Advil. She popped three in her hand and dropped them into Klaus'. "Is he-is Ben-here?" 

"When isn't he here." Klaus swallowed the pills dry. "Five said what now?" 

"Right. Five said that Priest Tremblay had written a few of the articles about the Waterhole disappearances. He figured we should start here." 

"Y'know, we could just go to the waterhole and see if any dead kiddos can tell us about it. Wouldn't that be smart?" 

Vanya blinked. "Maybe... I think we should ask him first." 

Klaus took a giant breath in, then exhaled for even longer, trying to relax his muscles that had been tensing. "Right. Okay. Let's hope he's here." 

She put a hand on his shoulder to help steady him. "I'm here for you, Klaus." 

The pair felt uneasy getting out of the car. The air was oddly musty, and a certain energy permeated from the cemetery. It had been a while since Klaus saw so many spirits concentrated in one place, let alone in a group. He tried to shake the memories of Hazel and Cha-Cha out of his head. 

Klaus swung the oak doors open for Vanya, following her inside. Ben trailed nearby. He didn't worry too much about his brother, instead focusing on how old the inside of the building looked. That would explain the spirits then. 

"Oh, Father Tremblay! Wherefore art thou, Father?" Klaus boasted down the pews, making Vanya jump. 

There was a lone woman huddled in prayer near the altar who turned to scour at him. She wasn't very old, but she certainly was plump. Her tawny brown hair was tied back in a ponytail that cascaded down to the floor. As she stood, it rose, but it still went down to her knees. 

"Father isn't in today. Who are you?" 

Klaus laughed, then snorted. "I could ask you the same, but I'm so distracted by your _majestic_ hair." 

The woman just scrunched her nose. "I've never seen you around here." 

"Yeah, that's because we're from America. You know, the good ol' US of A, aha." Klaus lied. "We're, uh, journalists." 

"So you're here for them." Her face softened. "The kids?" 

"Oh, how'd you guess?" 

"Listen, Miss," Vanya interjected, "Anything you can tell us about the disappearances, please do. We want to get to the bottom of this case." 

Klaus wondered if it was good or bad to lie about their intentions. Five just wanted to find out if it was being caused by a super-human; he didn't care about the kids. Then again, maybe it's good that they're here. They might be able to actually help. 

The woman pondered the proposal before sighing, ushering them to sit in the front row with her. "I've talked to just about every journalist in the whole wide world at this point, but none of them wanted to help. They just wrote their articles and left." 

Vanya looked over at Klaus. He just gave her an uncanny smile that read _'don't say shit'_. 

"What are your names?" 

"Klaus. Just call me Klaus." 

"... Vanya." 

"Right." She cleared her throat and rubbed at her eyes. "I can't tell you much, but I can tell you about the children. They were all boys, all of them. The lot of them were trouble-makers, acted out way too often. Us ladies in the community tried to give them some proper discipline like we would with any child, even Father Tremblay took them aside some days."

"And they all knew how to swim?" 

"By God, yes. There isn't a child over seven in this town who doesn't know how to swim. We have parties at the Waterhole every other weekend." She rubbed her hands nervously. 

The woman droned to Vanya, but Klaus quickly lost interest. There was a figure wandering by the confessions box, it kept disappearing and reappearing. It looked to Klaus like a kid who was trying to play hide-and-seek with him. 

"Sorry, I'll be back. I'm gonna have a look around." Klaus tilted his head and smiled falsely at the woman, who just nodded and waved her hand in return. That was enough for him. 

Klaus moved up and around the altar, gazing upon the rusted organ. It's pipes were completely bronze with many chips to it's surface. Above the organ, a beautiful mosaic of Sancta Maria cast a vibrant array of colors across the stage whenever the sun hit it. This wasn't Klaus' style. Despite the allure of the church, he felt queasy in the stomach. 

Over at the confessions box, there was a tiny foot sticking out of the curtain. The dress shoe was untied and wiggled until Klaus started to walk towards it. When he got close enough to grab it, it pulled itself into the box. The curtain fluttered, but kept whoever it was concealed within. 

He froze for a second, looking back to Ben for guidance. He wasn't there. Over-taken by curiosity, Klaus bent down slightly, slowly drawing back the curtain. 

What he saw next made him fling his whole body backwards, hitting the stage with a deafening thud. It was a little boys blue face. His mouth was open with an eerie, playful smile, green sludge and water-bugs crawling between his teeth and gums. Klaus hadn't seen anything this disgusting in a long while, and something told him he needed to get out of there as fast as he could. 

"Klaus?" Vanya stood up from her place in the pews, as did the lady. 

"I'm leaving. Now. Meet me, there, out there, yeah." Klaus was already rushing off the stage and bolting up the aisle. His heart pounded against his rib cage telling him not to look back. 

Ben was hanging near the car, confused at Klaus' panic. "What? What is it?" 

"Wouldn't you like to know, _asshole_." 

"What?" 

"You knew that kid was in there! Why didn't you tell me?" 

"Klaus, I've been out here the whole time making sure those spirits don't harass you. I have no clue what the hell you're talking about." 

Klaus tried to shove Ben, but fell right through, smacking his knees on the gravel. It was now when he felt the tears rushing down his face. He had seen so many before, why did that one bother him so damn much? He didn't understand, he just knew he never wanted to see a kid like that again. 

Vanya eventually came to his aide, putting her hands on Klaus' shoulders. "Klaus, come on, please talk to me, what happened?" 

Klaus turned to face her, immediately enveloping the small woman in a desperate hug. He could see the other standing in the doorway looking perplexed, but he just didn't give a shit. 

"Just get us a hotel, take me to a diner, something. Please, V? Please?" 

She didn't need to hear anymore. Vanya helped her brother up off the gravel drive-way, helping him towards the car. "I'm sorry Esther. I'll come back tomorrow." 

Esther nodded, and without another word she disappeared into the church. Vanya put the trembling Klaus in the passengers side. 

"What do you want to eat?" 

Klaus rubbed at the tears, taking in slow and shaky breaths. "... Mexican..." 

"Let's hope they have something." She rubbed his shoulder and didn't press for anymore details. "It'll be okay. Whatever you saw, I'm sorry." 

He shook his head, running his fingers through his messy curls. "Not your fault, V." 

"Maybe not." She sighed. "But it's about time someone looked out for you."

Klaus stopped heaving, again turning to look at Vanya. He smiled with teary eyes. For once, he felt seen by one of his sisters. "I could say the same for you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! 
> 
> Poor Klaus baby... This chapter was super fun to write. Also, North Riemas is just a Canadian town that I made up, don't try and look for it. Anyways, hope you enjoyed! Next chapter will be focused on Five! 
> 
> \- Moon


	4. Needed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five and Luther barely dent into their investigation.

Five wandered into Klaus’ old room after he left the morning of. He couldn’t help but gravitate towards his things. Everything that Klaus owned had a magnetism that only Five managed to feel. 

He ran his hands along the dresser, examining some of the objects he bumped into. One in particular made his stomach do flips: Dave’s necklace. The wretched thing, Five sneered when he saw his name engraved in the metal and snatched it from Klaus’ dresser. He must have forgotten to put it back on before he left. It was early after all… 

Five nestled the necklace in his pocket and moved along. 

The man found himself lying on the other’s bed. He was on his side, curling in on himself and gripping the sheets with one hand. Five was the one who suggested Klaus leave, yet suffered the most when he was gone. Pain thrashed around in his gut. 

Whether he would admit it or not, Five was helpless without Klaus. He could feel the cold sweat start to build up the longer he thought about it. Number Four filled some hole that Five didn’t know he had till their first kiss. 

This was so shameful. 

He sat up in Klaus’ bed and gave the old room a final look before getting up. As he shook out the chills, Luther appeared in the doorway. 

“Finally, found you. Are you ready?” 

Five sighed. “As ready as I’ll ever be to sit in a library for hours on end.” 

“Well, we’ll get some Griddy’s on the way, maybe look at cars?” Luther really was trying. Five found it slightly endearing. 

“Yeah. Maybe.”

Five cocked his head to the side to crack his neck and rolled his shoulders on their way down. His body was younger than the rest by only six years or so, but it felt like he still retained all those aging joints. Might just be a placebo effect, who knows. 

Luther did keep to his word. He stopped by Griddy’s diner to pick up some donuts and coffee for the two of them. Luckily, he didn’t make Five go inside. Instead he waited in the car, scouring the internet for anything related to the other 36. He hadn’t found anything substantial the past few days, but it never hurt to try again. 

Five always managed to do something to keep his mind off of him. 

“I got you a Boston. Is that alright?” 

“To be honest, I don’t care. But thanks. The coffee is black?” 

“... Well there are a couple sugars, she kinda insisted-“ 

He groaned. “Dammit, Luther.” 

“Just drink it.” Luther said, then rolled his eyes and held onto the bags as Five pulled out. 

For the majority of the morning they sat in the library and looked through every book, newspaper, or record they could find. There was a mass of information piled onto the table, and those who passed by gave them a prolonged stare before going about their day. Five sat diligently, sipping his brew and keeping a keen eye out for any leads. He could tell Luther was beyond bored from the endless bathroom excuses. 

“Find anything?”

“Nope. All the reports on the incident are secondary.” Luther shook his head. “You can’t expect much from the nineties.” 

“Here’s the thing; why the hell are there no interviews to date? Why did no one publish an article about _any_ of these women?” 

“I’m sure there are. They might just be regional… or, not in English.” 

Five rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I can’t sit here all damn d-”

 _Ring_

The caller ID on Luther's cell read ‘Diego’. Five snatched his phone away, answering before Luther had time to protest. 

“Diego, lay it on me.” 

“Wait, why did you-” 

“Just tell me what you found.” 

Diego huffed. Shuffling could be heard on the other side. “I haggled an officer, but he wouldn’t budge-" 

"You got nothing?" 

"Chill out, Five. All I got was that she ain't from here. Not sure where, but they're looking for a woman from a different country." 

A million possibilities raced through Five's mind, but they all went to terrifying dead-ends. "Great. That really narrows it down, Diego." 

"I _tried_. Give me a break." 

"I'll give you a break when you get me my info." Five was seething. He clicked the call to an end; Luther was glaring. "What?" 

"You know, I thought you were arrogant before, but it's really grown into something else." 

"Has it now?" He slid the phone back over to Luther. Silence wafted between them for a minute as the bigger brother stared in disbelief. 

"Yeah, it has, little smart-ass." Luther scoffed. "I don't know what Klaus even sees in you... I guess one bad apple attracts another." 

That struck a violent chord in Five's chest. He reached over the table to pull his brother forward by the front of his sweater till their faces were almost touching. "Say what you want about me Big Man, but don't let another insult on Klaus pass by yours lips ever again, or I'll have your face through the damn floor." Five hissed through gritted teeth. He let the comment sink in for a while longer before sitting back in his chair. 

"... What the Hell is your problem?" 

"I don't have a problem." He said, then pushed out his chair with aggression. "I'm going to the bathroom." 

Luther looked ultimately unaffected by Five's threat; just disturbed. Five could see it just from glancing at his stupidly small face. 

The guilt settled in when he reached a stall. He just sat there and let the cold sweat move down his face, let the tremors glide across his body. This shaky haze was familiar, he felt it sometimes. No, he felt it a lot. Five didn't know what it was, just that he despised it. 

His chest began to move up and down with an uneasy heaviness as his stomach tied itself in restless knots. The internal monologues were getting vicious. He covered his mouth and squeezed. 

Five needed Klaus. It would all stop if he could just hold him. God, it was shameful, so shameful, unhealthy, but he didn't know how else to manage. 

These fits only lasted for a few minutes. His critical side eventually regained control, and all the pain started to drift from his body. Five craved Klaus' touch, but he had a job to do, and his emotions could go back to the barely accessible pit they came from. 

He was Five Hargreeves. He didn't need anyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! 
> 
> Some of Five's inner-workings have been revealed. Maybe he's not as closed off as he lets on... Let's just hope he doesn't completely swallow his feelings whole. 
> 
> Till next chapter!  
> \- Moon


	5. Dreaming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus wakes up to a calming phone call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody. 
> 
> I’m on spring break! I’ve been taking this time to relax, but I’ll be back on schedule soon. This chapter is a bit uneventful, but it’s also very important, so please read all the way through. Thanks! 
> 
> \- Moon

“Dave?” 

Klaus stood deep in a birch forest. Wind came from the south and moved gently through his curly locks, whistling like a muffled blackbird. He could hear a familiar voice in the distance, one he assumed to be Dave, but it faded the longer he gave chase. 

“Dave!” He was sprinting yet it felt like he was getting nowhere fast; akin to running straight through water. “It’s me, I’m here!” 

Klaus tripped over his feet. His face scraped against the soft earth, followed by the rest of him. It was like jumping on cotton, he couldn’t feel much from it. That made it much easier to get back on his feet, but by that time, the wind stopped pushing him forward, and Dave’s voice withered into silence. 

“Dammit.” His hands trembled. “Dammit, dammit, dammit…” 

“Pathetic.” 

Klaus turned his head to look over his shoulder. There stood Five, dressed in a stark black suit. The underside of his eyes were rubbed red, and his skin looked paler than before. There were little lightning-like marks protruding from one deeply red spot on the right side of his face. 

“What?” 

“You’re still chasing him.” 

“God,” Klaus snorted, “Will you ever stop _bitching_?” 

“You chose me. You chose this.” 

“Yeah, well, I choose a lot of bad things. What’s with your face?” 

Five put two fingers up to the wound on his cheek, tracing some of the lines. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” 

Klaus’ upper body began to tremble with rage. “Yes! I would like to know, that’s all I ever wanted from you, is to just know!” The shaking transferred to the earth, which started to slip and fault. “And you know what else? I hate calling you F-“ 

A rumble knocked both men off their feet. The ground started to diverge, splitting the earth open and revealing a vibrant purple light. It separated the two men, and the piece of land that Five fell back on began to cave in; its foundation was breaking. 

“Five! Wait, wait-“ Klaus barely noticed his strip doing the same, and before he could get a better look at Five, the ground gave way beneath him. 

He didn’t know where he was falling, or for how long. Klaus tried to yell, but the air took his words and swallowed them. The only thing left to do was to hit whatever lay beneath the surface. 

Klaus smacked into an icy liquid. The momentum kept pushing him deep beneath the waves and into the big blue darkness. He let it happen, there was no use fighting. The water lay heavy on his body, and it was next to impossible to move his limbs. 

When gunfire decided to pierce the water was when he became discontent with drifting. Not this again, no, he just wanted to drown. 

Klaus could hear explosions above the surface. Everything started to come to an agonizingly slow halt. 

He needed to wake up. Now. 

Struggling to swim, Klaus wriggled whatever he could, reaching up towards the dim light with his hand. The bullets that struck the water never hit his skin; they whizzed down into the depths. 

Faster. Faster. He felt himself moving towards the surface. The light got brighter, almost blinding. 

Dave… 

Klaus shot up in his bed, panting. Pale sunlight illuminated the room. Vanya must have opened the curtains. 

He put his hand up to his face. Sweat. Klaus groaned, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. 

The hotel door clicked open. Vanya walked in cradling a bag of ice in her arms. “You’re awake. Good.” 

“Yep.” Klaus rubbed his eyes, doing a dramatic stretch. “You know, I miss the days when I loved sleeping.” 

Vanya smirked. “You don't now?” 

“Oh, I do. Before I fall asleep.” 

She raised her eyebrow and set the bag of ice in the cooler. “Right.” 

“Are they still serving breakfast? Man, I’m starving.” 

“You better hurry. It’s almost eleven thirty.” 

Klaus felt some of his muscles throbbing; they didn’t like the way he slept on them. “No use in rushing. I’ll find something on the way… to… hey V, what’s the plan again?” 

Vanya sighed. “Were you even listening at dinner?” 

“Cmon, you know me. I’m not that type of guy.” 

“Right. Again.” She nodded towards her cell on the nightstand. “I’ll remind you. Might want to call Five first, he was blowing up my phone.” 

“Oh joy. Light of my life. I’d love to hear from him.” Klaus’ eyes rolled backward as he reached for Vanya’s phone. He quickly pressed to return his call while not bothering to check the armada of texts he sent her. 

One ring… two… three… four… 

“Vanya?” 

“Top of the mornin’ to ya, sunshine. You sound cranky as ever.” 

A few seconds of silence. “Klaus. Finally. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you.” 

“You know I don’t believe in modern technology, don’t you?” 

“Yeah, well aware.” Five coughed. “It’s good to hear your voice.” 

Klaus’ face flushed. “What side of the bed did you wake up on?” 

“I didn’t sleep. It’s been a long night. A crazy one more like it.” 

“Yep. Mine too.” 

“Really? Vanya told me you cried, ate burritos, and passed out at eight.” 

“Pain isn’t relative!” 

“Whatever.” Five yawned on the other side. “I’m beyond tired. But I have a lead, finally.” 

“Who?” 

“Not sure yet. I just have her jacket.” 

“Great. I’m not going to ask how you got that.” 

”It’s better if I tell it in person, which is why you need to hurry your little investigation up.” 

“Awh, you miss me that much, huh?” 

“... Yeah, actually. I do. A lot.” 

Klaus’ heart throbbed behind his rib cage. “I’ll believe it when you say it to my face.” 

“Klaus.” Pause. “Just believe it.” 

Five ended the call with nothing more on his mind. The other man stared at Vanya’s phone, then pinched his arm over and over again. 

“Ow, dammit!” 

“What are you doing?” Vanya swatted at his hands, taking her phone back. 

“Just making sure I’m not dreaming.” 

“Why?” 

Klaus nodded to the phone. “Whatever happened, he must’ve hit his head pretty hard, the damn romantic.” 

Vanya gave a light smile. “Five can be like that when he wants to.” 

“He should do it all the time then.” Klaus stood up and shook out the goosebumps. “What’s on the agenda, V?” 

“The waterhole. I got a hold of Esther this morning, and she agreed to show us to it.” 

The tension from the goosebumps shifted. His hair stood up a little straighter. “Don’t tell me what I’m thinking is what we’re gonna do.” 

“Look, you don’t have to go… but I won’t lie to you. You could be our only chance.” Vanya seemed to plead with her soft, dark eyes. “If you could just talk to the children, it’d save us a lot of time here. And we’d never have to come back.” 

The two stared at each other for a long moment. Klaus could feel that their wavelengths were uneven, but she was pulling him into the plan with her sweetness alone. How could he say no? 

“Lucky you, I saw a lot in Vietnam. I’ll go.” 

“Thank you, Klaus.” She said. “It’ll be over before you know it.” 

Let’s hope she’s right.


	6. Boys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus discovers the secret behind the waterhole disappearances.

Esther was the first to step out of Vanya’s car. She dusted her plaid, knee-length dress, gazing upon the forest in front of them. 

Klaus watched her approach the trail, waving them onward. Ben followed close behind her, the most eager of the three to get moving. 

“You said you know these woods forward and backward?” Vanya asked. 

“‘Course I do. You can hear the water from here.” 

Klaus trailed behind the group and kicked any pebbles he found along the soft dirt path. He kept a reluctant eye out for anything moving between the trees, but he couldn’t pick up a single spirit. No secret movements, nothing. Klaus tried to keep his head up about it, but he found himself instinctively keeping his eyes toward the earth. 

Esther rattled on; she talked more than him, and that's saying something. He really wanted to shut her up somehow. Everything she said felt … fake. 

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Vanya said, “Is Father Tremblay in town at all?” 

“Yes, yes, he is. But he doesn’t like talking to reporters.” 

“Why?” Klaus asked. “Does he have somethin to hide?” 

“ _Klaus_.” 

“No, not at all. He’s a good man.” 

“Yeah.” Klaus clicked his tongue. “What’s his first name?” 

Esther slowed her walk, but picked it up again quickly. “Jon.” 

“Jon. Tremblay. Jon Tremblay. Cute name, nice on the tongue. Too bad he’s probably celibate.” 

Klaus laughed for them. 

The dirt path began to unwind into a light, grassy trail. This was when the wind decided to pick up and whip cool gusts across their faces. He shivered a bit, looking to Ben who drifted back next to him. 

“Do you feel it?” 

“Feel what? I don’t feel anything but the damn wind.” 

“Focus.” 

“I am focusing!” 

Esther turned over her shoulder and shot glares back at Klaus, giving Vanya an odd glance. “Who’s he talking to?” 

Vanya searched for a suitable explanation. Her smile bent awkwardly to the left. “Oh, just himself. He does that a lot.” 

“Yeah, sorry, a few loose screws up in the ol’ noggin.” Klaus rapped his knuckles against his head while laughing his signature way. 

“Cut it out then. This isn’t funny.” 

Vanya’s eyes were easy to read: shut up, and do your thing. He could take a hint, he wasn’t an idiot, but he never liked to listen to directions. 

Still, this was Vanya. She didn’t deserve to be subjected to his fuckery. He tried to block Ben from his vision, closing his eyes as they continued. 

The longer his eyes were closed, the more he felt it. Nothing was heightened, but the sense of dread came creeping in under the birch canopy. It came in waves, disappearing and reappearing, like it was sentient, trying to lead him in all kinds of directions. 

They were here. They just didn’t want him to see. 

Klaus bumped into Vanya and immediately snapped his eyes open. “Sorry.” He muttered. 

They stood at the edge of a rocky beach that opened up into the mouth of a creek. Across the way, a giant tree hung over the dark green water. It was curved, with jagged planks nailed to its back. They led to a dark platform. Attached to its biggest branch was a long, knotted rope. Klaus couldn’t tell how long it was, but it’s use was clear. He could imagine kids jumping from the rough, wooden platform, descending into the depths below. It sounded enticing, even now. 

“You can’t see it, but there’s a hole in those waters, right below the rope. Some say it don’t have a bottom.” 

“It has to have one, it just…” Vanya cleared her throat when Esther looked pointedly at her. “So, it must be a popular place for kids.” 

“They’d come here all the time, before the accidents. We all would.” Esther looked toward the rope. “I can’t imagine why they’d do it.” 

“Do what?” 

“Come here, so late at night, and jump.” 

“Boys will be boys.” Klaus said. “Or at least that’s what they say. They were boys, right?” 

“Dylan Bausch. Jeremiah Snyder. Joshua Lance.” Esther wiped at her eyes. “You’re here now. Do whatever you need to. The place has already been searched.” 

“I’ll find something no one else can.” Klaus snickered. 

“What?” 

“Nothing! He’s just messing around, ahaha…” 

Vanya brushed her hair to the side and nodded to Klaus. He took the cue, waving her off as he staggered down the rocks. 

“Yeah, yeah. I’m going.” 

Klaus sucked in a sharp breath. It was hard to hold in all those troubled thoughts. He tried to wrap them up tightly and bury them in his head, but they always found seams to poke and pull at. He must’ve stitched them back together a thousand times by now. 

The air chilled and settled onto his skin in thick layers as he wandered. He followed the whispers, the distant sounds of shoes pounding the earth, the giggling, but they all led him back to the waters edge. It confused him the first time, but the more it happened, the more anxious he got. A child’s spirit was one of two things: unbearably stubborn, or painfully shy. 

Vanya and Esther wandered up stream. He couldn’t hear their soft voices over the white noise in his ears. 

“C’mon… the one time I need them around they send me in circles.” 

“They keep leading you here.” Ben waded in the water. “Maybe they want you to swim.” 

“They may want it, but there’s no way in hell that I’m getting in.” 

“Can you stop being selfish for one day? Do this for the community. They deserve to know what happened.” 

“Selfish? I’m selfish? Five’s the one who sent me here. I didn’t have to go you know, I could’ve easily just stayed behind, and everything would have been fine. But no, I’m the selfish one for not wanting to see a bunch of kiddy corpses in the waterhole!” 

“Shhh! Will you shut your big mouth? Get in the damn water, it’s for the greater good.” 

Klaus scrunched his nose at Ben as they stared each other down. Eventually, he gave in to the sigh and dropped his coat on the rocks, emptying whatever he had in his pockets. 

“I’m not doing this for you… or for those damn kids…” He muttered under his breath, stripping down to his boxers before dipping a tentative foot into the waters. More chills worked their way up his body. The rocks were cold and slick with slime. He looked over toward Vanya and Esther, trying to be quick about this. 

Klaus waded till the water reached his mid-section, looking over to Ben who wore a smirk that he wanted to smack off. 

“Look.” 

Ben pointed to the other side; there sat a boy, the same curly-haired one he remembered from the confessional. Klaus’ words got stuck in his throat, so he swallowed them hard and raised his hand, giving the spirit a small wave. 

“Hey… Remember me?” 

Curly nodded his head. A sly smile spread across his face. “Yeah. You’re the ugly guy from church.” 

“Ugly? Excuse me, I’m definitely an acquired taste!” 

“Whatever. Why can you see me?” 

“It’s… kinda hard to explain. Just don’t question it.” Klaus swayed in the water and tried to keep his eyes averted from the sickly kid. “What’s your name?” 

“Jeremy.” 

“Jeremy, nice. Is anyone else around?” 

“They don’t want to be seen.” Jeremy frowned. “They’re afraid.” 

“What? Of me?” 

“No. Of her.” Jeremy nodded upstream. 

Klaus squinted to where Esther was. They had wandered pretty far upstream, definitely out of earshot, however he could tell they were having some type of deep discussion. 

“The old hag?” 

Jeremy laughed. Klaus began to look at him for longer periods of time. “Yeah. They are. But I’m not.” 

“Why are they scared of her?” 

The curly-headed boy paused for quite a while. His eyes were focused on the movements in the water, following the small ripples. Klaus felt like his silence was going to crush him. 

“She helped him. She was there the whole time.” 

Ben and Klaus looked at eachother, neither finding any suitable words. 

“I hate to ask more questions-” 

“Then don’t.” 

“-but I have to. See, Vanya and I have to figure out what happened, because…” Klaus paused. They didn’t really need to know anything beyond whether this was caused by another super-child or not. His heart clenched. “Because we’re trying to bring whatever happened to the public. Y’know, so everyone knows.” 

Jeremy shook his head. “He killed us, because we were going to tell, too. And he’ll kill you like he killed everyone else.” 

“Who? Who are you talking about?” Klaus closed his eyes, groaning with frustration. “Just give us-” 

When he opened them, Jeremy was gone. 

“-a name?” 

There was a rustling in the woods. Klaus turned over his shoulder quickly to see a man in black emerge from the trail. He wore a silver cross around his neck, but more importantly, he had something in his hand. Something Klaus would recognize in a heartbeat. 

“Vanya!” He called upstream, only to see Vanya being held in a chokehold by Esther. Klaus head began to throb again, God, what should he do, what could he do? 

Before the priest could lift his gun to shoot, Klaus was already underwater. The dark green haze disguised him. He could go deeper, and fast. A bullet whizzed past his leg, accelerating his pulse. Moving too much would reveal his location, so he started to blow out of his nose, which allowed him to sink. 

Klaus didn’t have much time. He had to think, think dammit, he couldn’t just leave her… He tried to open his eyes and see through the murk. 

Choking on water, he immediately screamed at the sight. Two pale figures stared up at him, reaching for his feet with their dirty fingernails. Their eyes were wide and unbothered by the filth, and every orifice was filled with moss and creek sludge. 

Klaus could handle dead adults. Not kids. 

Despite the danger he swam to the surface and inhaled immediately. He was directly under the rope swing; directly above the hole. Klaus cursed himself and looked towards the shore to dodge any bullets that were bound to come his way. 

However, there were no bullets. In fact, the man was lying a couple yards from where Klaus originally spotted him. He lay on his stomach with blood leaking from his head. 

Esther suffered the same fate. She lay face down in the shallow water upstream. Vanya stood in the middle of it all, staring at Klaus like a deer in headlights. 

“Klaus!” 

“Hold on!” 

Klaus swam as fast as he could towards the shore. He stumbled, and never did it cross his mind to look back. His feet scraped against the rocks as he staggered to Vanya, holding out his shivering arms for her to fall into. 

“H-holy shit, Vanya.”

“I didn’t mean to.” She grasped onto his wet body. “They were going to kill us, I just-” 

“Hey, Vanya, listen to me.” Klaus lifted her face from his chest with both hands, squeezing her cheeks. “We were never here, okay? We never stopped by, we never talked to Esther. We didn’t come out here. Understand?” 

Vanya nodded with teary eyes. 

“Five will help us. He always does. I promise.” 

“But Klaus,” Vanya whimpered. “I killed them. Both of them.”

He held her, snickering despite his feverish shaking. “ _Trust me, V. They deserved more than that._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! One more chapter and Klaus will finally be back with Five, and the main plot will continue. Hopefully you enjoyed this fun little adventure V and Klaus went on (;. 
> 
> More to come this week. Stay safe out there.
> 
> \- Moon


	7. Jealous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five and Luther meet Klaus and Vanya back at the academy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! 
> 
> I hope everyone is staying safe. This chapter is a bit on the boring side and extremely dialogue heavy, but I promise next chapter will be focused on Klaus and Five's private life. Stay tuned! 
> 
> \- Moon

Five slowly opened his eyes to a deep pink twilight. Klaus’ room was half illuminated by the window, casting everything in a reddish haze. Humming would fade from hallway to hallway every now and then along with gentle footsteps. Still, it felt empty. Five ran his fingers over the dog tag in his right pocket, as if it would disappear in a heartbeat. 

He kept his head buried in the pillow until the sound of his own breathing started to bother him. His eyes squinted to read the broken clock: 5. So, 6. 

The man sat up and pulled the blanket off his legs. Her jacket was still there. He used a couple fingers to touch the side of his cheek. The burn marks were too. 

Hefty footsteps drew closer to Klaus’ room. Five hurried out of bed with the jacket curled around his fist. 

“Luther?” 

Said man opened the door, shuffling through the frame. “Do you always sleep in here?” 

A groan. “What do you want.” 

“Vanya and Klaus are almost home.” Luther shrugged. “They wouldn’t tell me anything else.” 

“Must not have been important then.” Five approached Luther and pushed his way past him without thought. “Sorry, I slept too long.” 

“Don’t apologize. She really got you.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“Come on, look at your face.” Luther ruffled Five’s hair. “Plus, you never sleep for more than four hours at a time.” 

“That’s all I need.” 

Five clambered down the stairs. He could see Grace dusting something in the kitchen. Pogo was nowhere to be seen. 

“I suppose you didn’t find what this symbol is, did you?” Five ran his thumb along the insignia of the jacket. 

“Not yet. I took a nap, just like you.” 

“Right. Well, here. I don’t want this right now.” 

He tossed the jacket up to Luther. The bigger man took a hard look at the navy blue fabric and white insignia before putting it over his shoulder. 

“That’s a first.” 

“I want to hear about the waterhole. What they found, if anything.” 

“Vanya… and Klaus. Your guess is as good as mine.” 

Five snorted. “Yep.” 

“Speaking of him, how are uh… how are you and Klaus?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Come on Five. Don’t play stupid. You were about to tear each other apart the other day.” 

Five shook his head. _Yeah, but not in the way you’d think_. “I’m fine. He’s just being temperamental.” 

“Are you talking about your boyfriend, or a kid you’re babysitting?” 

“You’re the one who asked, dickwhiz.” 

“Look, I’m just telling you how I see it. Do you even like Klaus?” 

“And since when do you care about that?” Five turned on his heel. 

“I always have. He’s my brother, and if you’re just-” 

“Luther. Whatever you’re about to say, take it and shove it up your ass.” He seethed. “Of course I love Klaus. I’m not a sociopath.” 

“I didn’t say love. Like.” 

“Yes. I like him. I don’t need your semantics.” 

Five could feel something sloshing around in his gut. Luther’s stare was dry. 

“If that’s true, put the dog tag back.” 

The smaller man shifted in his dress shoes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“Don’t lie to me. I saw you take it. What do you need it for?” 

“I don’t have the damn necklace, Luther.” 

“It’s right there! I can see it!” Luther lunged for Five’s right pocket, to which he spacially jumped to the left. 

He pulled the dog tag out: Dave’s name reflected the light fixture above and hit his eye in a sharp line. Five squinted from the tiny burn. 

“I’m making sure nothing happens to it. He left it here.” 

Luther practically growled. “Yeah right, you wouldn’t have lied. You’re smarter than that.” 

“Not when it comes to anything about Klaus… apparently.” 

“Put it-” 

The opening of the front door sounded towards them. Five nodded curtly to Luther, then made his way through the archway with clicking feet. 

Behind the visage of Vanya, Klaus stumbled in. Five stopped in his tracks-unbeknownst to his brain-a habit he’d picked up from other times. The man looked awful. His hair was matted, his skin pale, his eyes more sunken than usual. To top it off, Five could smell the creekwater on him from the archway. 

“You’re back early.” Idiot. He shouldn’t have led with that. 

“It’s good to see you.” Vanya didn’t smile. Something was up. 

“Right, you too. How was-” 

“Oh, come here, and shut up for a minute.” 

Klaus pushed his way to Five and immediately swung his arms around him. Time slurred into a mix of agonizing slowness and steady quickness. Five leaned his chest into Klaus’, trying to block the sickly water smell from his nostrils. Despite the warmth radiating from his lover, all he could manage was a stiffness that Klaus was well accustomed to by now. 

“Here.” He pulled away quickly and held the dogtag out to Klaus. “You left this. Thought I’d keep an eye on it.” 

Klaus’ eye twitched, but he took it. He put the necklace on as if it was a priceless gem that would be broken by a single strike from the hand. “Thanks ‘a million.” 

“Don’t mention it. Now, about the-” 

“Right, right. That. The waterhole. Y’know, can that wait a night or two? I could use a shower back at _our_ place, and a nice dinner, I’m thinking wings or something guilty like that. Not that I’m guilty of anything. And Vanya definitely isn’t either-” 

“Klaus, we’re doing this now. What the hell happened?”

Klaus groaned, loud. Luther appeared in the archway, gazing over Five’s shoulder like a guard dog. “I don’t even know! Lady named Esther and Jon Tremblay ran some catholic-boy-touching-party up there, and they killed some kids that were too loud for their own good. Now they’re dead, so it doesn’t matt-” 

“ _How the hell did they die_?” 

Klaus glanced over his shoulder. Vanya looked about ready to cry. “I… I killed them. But he had a gun, and I, I just didn’t know what else to do. He would’ve killed Klaus, Five, I’m so sorry.” 

A couple tears ran down her face. He walked slowly up to her, suddenly reminded of his cheek. 

“What happened to you?” 

Five shook his head. “Not now. I’m sorry, Vanya. I shouldn’t have sent you up there.”

“Your face-” 

“Don’t worry about it.” He put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Why don’t you stay here for tonight?” 

Vanya’s cognac eyes contemplated the proposal. They gazed up on the light fixtures and mahogany shelves with heavy apprehension, then settled back on her brother. He’s always been able to read her expressions, tell what she's feeling before she says a word. 

“Alright. Yeah. I’ll stay.” 

He nodded and gave a light pat to her shoulder. In his peripherals, Klaus was staring. Or glaring. He couldn’t tell. 

“I’ll go home with Klaus. And we’ll discuss what happened tomorrow.” 

Luther was grim. The hard set lines on his forehead looked less than appealing. 

“Your sister kills two criminals and suddenly everything's awkward.” Klaus said, and coughed. 

“Of course it is. This is serious.” 

“I never said it wasn't. But give her a break, will you? She saved my ass from having a bullet in it.” 

The giant sucked in a breath, shaking his head and letting it go in frustration. “Okay, fine. But we’re discussing it in the morning.” 

Five scoffed. “That’s what I said.” 

“Right.” 

“Right.” 

“Yeah.” 

“Okay!” Klaus interjected the tension by grasping Five’s hand. “We’re leaving. Some important things to get to. Take care, take care, we’ll be back am morgen!” 

“Klaus, wait.” 

Vanya wiped at her face. Five watched as she wrapped her arms around him, and he instinctively tightened his grip on Klaus’ hand. 

“Thank you.” 

“For what exactly?” 

“Going with me. You saw a lot.” 

“It isn’t over yet, V.” He smiled warmly at her. Five’s pulse throbbed in his throat. “Go get some rest.” 

Jealousy was an awful disease.


	8. Bathtub

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus finally gets to be alone with Five.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y’all!
> 
> Finally. It felt good to write a chapter with just Klaus and Five. The overarching plot will come back in a jiffy, but for now take these boys. 
> 
> Anyways, online school sucks. I’ll be starting another Klaus/Five fic soon to run alongside liability, so look forward to it! 
> 
> \- Jilly

Hot water enveloped his body as Klaus sunk into the bathtub. He let all the sore tension in his muscles erode into the water. The suds had an intense lavender aroma. 

Five closed the door to the master bathroom, carrying in a bottle of Zinfandel and two wine glasses. He wore only boxers and a plain black T-shirt; this alone made Klaus feel giddy inside. 

Finally, home. 

“I don’t understand why you always insist on me being in here.” Five poured a couple glasses, handing one to Klaus. 

“It’s nice to have you around.” Klaus took a sip of his wine. It was the only alcohol he was allowed to have, if you could even call it that. Zinfandel was just overly glorified fruit juice… _expensive_ overly glorified fruit juice. He set it on the stool beside the bath and reached for the soap. 

Five leaned against the bathroom counter, watching. 

“You’re holding up alright?” 

“Define ‘holding up’, Five. Holding up physically? Socially, mentally?” 

“... All of the above.” 

“Not at all. But I’m not going to open that can of worms, not tonight, when I have you all to myself.” He snickered as he lathered lavender shampoo through his curls, then dunked his head in the water. 

When he lifted his head again, Five was walking toward him. Klaus tilted his head back to rinse and watched as he knelt next to the bathtub. His green eyes had grown soft and mossy in the past hour which brought out the stark redness on his cheek. The little lightning marks stretched like tree branches to the edge of his nose, Klaus wanted to reach out and touch them. 

However, Five was the one to reach out. He cupped his hand around Klaus’ face as he leaned back up and sighed out of his nose. “Not working is killing me right now, you know that?” 

“Definitely.” Klaus smirked, pressing his cheek against Five’s hand. “But that’s all you ever do. I think you’ll manage.” 

“Hm.”

“Come on, get in.” 

“One second.” Five tipped his wine glass back till it was just about empty. Klaus watched as warmness flooded the other man's cheeks when he took his own shirt off. 

Five stood in his boxers for a moment. 

Two. Three. Four. 

“Are you gonna-“ 

“No, I mean yeah, I am.” 

“Oh come on, Five. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.” 

He averted his eyes after Five nodded. The old man got like that sometimes. Klaus didn’t know what went through his head, it must be disorienting being 26 years old for the second time… but the embarrassment confused him. Old habits die hard, he guessed. Didn’t really need to know. 

Five climbed in on the other side, sinking til the water reached mid-chest. 

Klaus giggled. “You know, it’s kinda funny.” 

“What?” 

“I was _so_ pissed when I left the other day. But look at us!” He moved his feet around to splash water across Fives face. 

“Tch. I still don’t get it.” 

“Get what?” 

“Why you were pissed, obviously.” 

“Oh, y'know. The usual.” 

Five leaned forward, squinting. “The usual?” 

“Yeah, when you do that thing. The whole, _I’m Number Five, holier-than-thou_ deal. But it’s fine, we don’t have to get into it.” 

He looked like he was going to pop a blood vessel. His breathing picked up, but Klaus could see him trying to stifle it. “Why didn’t you just say that?” 

“Everyone says that. It’s kind of a thing, y’know.” 

“No, I don’t. I don’t know.” 

“Let’s not get into it then. We’re in a good mood!” 

“Not anymore, Klaus.” 

“Ah.” Klaus sipped from his wine and sighed with exasperation. “Here we go again.” 

“I missed you. I really did. But you have to understand that my job is extremely important.” 

“Last time I checked, we’re unemployed living off Dad’s inheritance.” 

“My job,” Five paused, “of protecting the family.” 

Klaus shut his mouth for a few moments as he slowly leaned up in the water. He moved so his face was inches away from Five, so close that his breaths felt like butterfly wings brushing his face. 

“How much do you get paid an hour?” 

Five looked bewildered. A few short laughs escaped his lips giving Klaus a rush of seratonin. His cotton head held no knowledge of the the craving that had been sitting hard in the pit of Fives stomach for days. 

He kissed Klaus with ferver and gripped his shoulder. Bold move, grumpy old man. However, Klaus already had both hands on both of Fives shoulders, and pushed him back against the edge of the bathtub. 

The smaller man jolted, but never broke the kiss. He latched onto Klaus’ wet curls and pulled him down so that their chests bumped against eachother. Fives skin was scarred but soft, he couldn’t help but let his hands search wildly around his waist. 

Klaus accidentally struck a nerve somehow, because Five suddenly grabbed hold of him, pushing him up and back before he had time to react. One hand reached behind Klaus’ head as the other kept him pinned against the bath. Five yanked on his hair so that his head tilted over the edge. Klaus made an alarmed noise that was cut off by another kiss. An aggressive kiss. His neck ached from the restraint, but Five was relentless, forcing his tongue into Klaus’ mouth with no warning. 

Whatever this was, his concern melted away into pure pleasure. This is what Klaus always wanted. 

He groaned into Five’s fierce kiss and reached for one of his hands, moving it up to his neck. His hair stood on end as he felt Fives calloused fingers run over the tender skin like it was fine silk. The muscles there tightened with tingling anticipation. 

Klaus felt Fives other hand leave his hair and take its place on the other side of his neck. The smaller man broke the kiss sloppily, leaning his head up and gazing down. 

“You want me to choke you.” 

“Oh, you have no idea how much I-“ 

Fives hands clamped down on Klaus’ throat. He wasn’t squeezing the sides to give a euphoric feeling, or being sensual in the slightest. Klaus could feel all his power being piled into it, crushing his esophagus to prevent him from breathing. He tried to shake his head, too hard, too hard, but Fives fingers wouldn’t stop squeezing. 

Klaus clawed at his wrists and tried to wrench his hands away. After a couple more seconds Five ripped his hands off, flinging himself backwards. A wave of water crashed onto the tile floor, knocking over Fives wine glass and shattering the right side. 

His throat sputtered and spit for a breath of air. His lungs devoured it. 

“Holy fucknuts! Five!” 

Fives eyes were wide and practically glowing a vibrant green. His upper body was shaking; almost violently. 

“Are you okay?” Klaus rubbed his throat and coughed, then sat up on his knees. He raised his eyebrows with both shock and deep, deep concern. 

Five backed away till he was standing at the edge, hurriedly getting out of the tub. 

“Wait, wait, I’ll show you how t-“ 

Slam. Klaus winced, running another hand over his aching throat as his shoulders caved in. 

What the hell was that? 

Five never got violent with him. Never. He thought maybe the guy just didn’t know how to do it properly, but he knew better. Those eyes were glazed thick with intent. 

He gazed around the tub wearily. The tiny crimson trail leading out the door made him sigh. 

“Don’t go anywhere babe!” Klaus stood. “You have glass in your feet!” 

—— 

The kitchen was dark. Five sat on a rickety chair in his loose pajamas with a foot propped up on his leg. 

A couple glass shards had lodged their way into his foot. He was too distracted with shame to even care about it. Even now, the cold chills were the worst part, causing his body to shiver with guilt. 

Five almost hurled when Klaus opened the door to the bedroom. He could hear those airy footsteps making their way to the kitchen and considered just sitting in the hallway to make it seem like he left. 

Too late. He was already coming into full view. Five trained his eyes to the floor and took in short breaths. 

Klaus wasted no time. He was already kneeling in front of him. A gentle hand rested on Fives ‘injured’ foot. 

“Hey. Hey. Relax. Breathe.” 

“I’m relaxed!” 

“Yeah, sure, and I don’t see dead people. Just breathe.” 

Fives heaving chest began to slow. Some strands of dark hair fell in front of his eyes. “I’m sorry.” 

“And I forgive you.” 

Klaus gave a long look at Fives foot before getting up again. He rushed into the supply closet, throwing a few miscellaneous things around before coming back out with a loud ‘aha!’. First aid. 

“I wasn’t trying to. Kill you. I promise.” 

“You scared the absolute shitballs out of me, buuuut I already knew that.” 

Five groaned. “Klaus, I’m trying to be serious.” 

As Klaus kneeled again, he stopped to look in the dead center of Fives eyes. That made the smaller man Freeze all his nervous shaking. That look meant Business. 

“Old man. Whatever issues you have going on in that riddled brain of yours, they’re not just gonna be solved in one night. It happened, and a cold-blooded killer wouldn’t have stopped after ten seconds.” Klaus said, then cracked open the box. “Eventually tell me what happened. But I’m fine, so stop rushing the process, man.” 

Quietness flooded into their small space. Five worked with regulating his breathing and studying Klaus’ curls, while the latter picked at the foot till all the sparkling shards lay in a small pile on the floor. 

“I just can’t believe I’m sixty god damn years old, sixty, and I’m sitting here shivering like a child.” 

“What do you expect?” 

Five sighed. “Maturity. A stable mind. Peace.” 

“I mean… maybe it’s just me, but not sticking my dick in anything for 45 years? I’d develop more than just a sadism kink.” 

“Klaus!” 

He snickered, resting his head on Fives thigh. “Joking, joking. You’re right where you need to be.”


	9. Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five can't sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty experimental. I feel like Five has a hard time... adjusting. 
> 
> Short chapter, too. Plot will resume soon! 
> 
> \- Moon

Klaus was deadweight. His chest rose and fell so lightly that he had to train his eyes to see. Unmoving, barely breathing. Unknowing. 

Five leaned back against the headboard and ran a finger across his cheek. He traced and picked at the burn. It stung for a split second, but that wasn’t long enough, so he pressed the bottom of his thumb in deep. 

The room was disquiet. It bothered him, all of it. He’d hear the fan shuffling things around in the deep blue shadows, or people slamming their car doors down in the parking lot after coming home from a long night, and it’d keep him up to Godless hours. 

Daytime was proof of life. Nighttime kept him guessing. He’d pictured Klaus never waking up more than once. It didn’t help when they had movie night some time ago, and his lover didn’t think twice before picking I Am Legend. They didn’t even get through twenty minutes before Five made some excuse to leave. 

He tried walking the streets when he was tireless. His eyes would dilate, and the road would stretch for longer than he knew it to be. They were almost always empty. 

Five groaned and lifted himself from the bed. The floors cooled his feet as if he were stepping from a microwave straight to a fridge. He moved noiselessly out of the bedroom, down the darkened hallway and into the dingy kitchen. The only light came in a small, silvery stream through the crack of a curtain in the living room. That was enough for him to flip on the pale yellow light above the dining table. 

For the next hour he sat in the illumination of the TV. He didn’t understand a lot of what was going on, but he liked what Klaus called ‘trash TV’. Any opportunity to make himself feel better was one worth taking. 

It didn’t hold him, though. He turned on his back after a while to stare at the ceiling. His arm was draped over the side with his knuckles brushing the cold wooden floor. Now was as good a time as any to close his eyes. 

The eyelids fell first. They were heavy, and so was the rest of him. It felt like he’d burn straight through the couch. 

No more thoughts. He cleared his head of nothing but the dark expanse, and the colors that came along with it; little light patterns that danced in front of his eyes from the lights on either side of him. Five was going to focus on those like he used to until they lulled him to sleep. 

Klaus. Klaus’ face. 

_No, no, no. Just go to sleep._

Lying there, unmoving. Barely Breathing. 

_Stop it, stop it. Just focus._

And when morning comes, there’s no pulse. 

“Dammit!” Five sat straight up on the couch. He turned the TV off with a swift click and shuffled back to his bedroom. The pale yellow light remained on, stagnant. 

When he stepped back into the fridge-room, Klaus was stirring. That satisfied some stupid itch inside him and gave him some relief. 

“Five? Whadd’a… What’s goin’ on?” 

“Stubbed my toe.” 

Sometimes, Five thought maybe he was too quick to lie about everything. But he knew it was necessary. 

“It’s four in the morning, asshole. Come to bed.” 

“What do you think I’m doing?” 

He climbed back onto the fleece blankets and decided to sleep without one. Klaus slipped further into them till only his eyes were showing. They were weary and grey in this light. 

“Take melatonin.” 

“It’s fine. I’m tired anyway.” 

“You sure?” 

“Yeah.” 

A few seconds went by, and Klaus seemed satisfied with that. Five gave him a reassuring smile. 

“Trust me. I’ll be out in no time. I’m old.” 

“Yep…” Klaus yawned. “An old car… with new paint over it.”


	10. Awkward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A discussion about Mystery Girl leads to an argument on all sides.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your encouraging feedback! I appreciate all of my readers <3 Enjoy Chapter Ten! 
> 
> \- Moon

Klaus swirled his coke and watched the ice waft across the glass. The scar on his forehead was fading fast. 

Vanya’s eyes threatened to close. She hovered over her cereal as Five droned on about the night before with heavy fatigue. Diego rapped his knife on the marble counter, and Luther stood attentively without a trace of boredom. 

“Five. None of us really care right now.” 

“I do.” 

“Most of us.” Klaus said, then yawned. 

Five shook his head and started for the fridge, yanking it open with one hand. “Fine. This girl works for an engineering company and moved from Britain. She seemed to be targeting Anicorp for an unknown reason.” 

“Any guesses?” 

“Only one.” He pulled out the iced tea. “Anicorp has been outed for animal cruelty, and targeted by an animal rights activist group for decades now. They’ve never been shut down successfully… Just set back from public outrage. But according to their website, it’s not enough till every lab is destroyed.” 

“So, _Domestic Terrorists_.” Luther grunted. 

“For a good cause.” Vanya added. 

“That Anicorp truck driver died. For all we know, he had nothing to do with the animals.” 

“But he transported them-” 

“So?” 

“Knowingly.” Vanya sat up a little straighter. “He knowingly transported them.” 

“Whatever the cause, or the reason, people have died. And almost died.” Five said, pouring himself a drink and mixing it with rum. “She needs to be stopped.” 

“Why? We don’t serve the public anymore.” Vanya spoke softly and played with her cereal. 

“Some of us do.” Diego glared. 

“And some of us don’t.” Klaus finally interjected. “Are we seriously going to, uh, risk our damn lives to stop some chick who likes animals a little too much? She has nothing to do with us.” 

Five looked pointedly at him. Considering the night before Klaus felt some chills rise on his arm. “She’s a threat to the public. We’re the only ones who can prevent more innocent people from dying.” 

“Scientists who test on animals are innocent?’ Vanya probed. “Who are we even fighting for?” 

“All people! We are fighting for all people.” 

“I don’t want anything to do with this.” She stood up with her lucky charms, a little milk spilling off the side of her bowl. “We’re not heroes Five, we almost caused the end of the world somehow. That’s enough for one lifetime.” 

Klaus nodded in enthusiastic agreement and raised his glass. “Amen.”

Five was about to pop a damn blood vessel. He slammed the iced tea pitcher onto the counter and sneered at the two as if they just put something in his drink. “You all got onto me about not asking for help, and now when I need it you back out?” 

“That was then. This is now.” 

“And now he needs us more than ever.” Diego said with fervor. “A truck almost crushed Klaus and Five to death, how are you taking this like he’s asking to get a cat from a tree?” 

“This isn’t about any of us!” She shouted, “This is about him not being able to live a normal life.” 

Luther rolled his eyes and stepped closer to Vanya. “It’s about all of us. We’re in danger.” 

“We will be if we mess with this hot mess.” Klaus scoffed. 

The big man turned over his shoulder with domestic ferocity. “You know, Klaus, why don’t you go back to being a junkie on the streets since you’re not grateful for everything we’ve helped you through?” 

Silence. There were a lot of those moments. Anytime they’d gather it’d turn to a clusterfuck of emotional incapability on all sides. 

Klaus could feel something moving inside him. It wasn’t anger, no, none of that. Anger would heat up his head and bring tears to his eyes. This was dread, but deeper, and darker than anything he’d ever experienced. 

Disappointment. 

“Well then.” He said, clapping his hands together. “Guess I’ll take my leave to pursue my junkie dreams, huh?” 

“Klaus… I-” 

“No, no. No apologies.” Klaus made his way out of the kitchen. “They’re not worth much from you anyway.” 

Vanya tried to search for something to say, but nothing came to mind. She followed Klaus and left her uneaten bowl to sog on the counter. 

One thing Klaus relished in, the one thing that kept him from dipping over the edge with Luther, was that look on Five’s face. 

Boy, was he pissed.


	11. Just Right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus doesn't feel good. Neither does Five.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! 
> 
> This chapter took me longer to start writing than I expected. I got super wrapped up in other fandoms, but don't worry, this story isn't over! Enjoy some more Klaus/Five scenes (: . 
> 
> \- Moon

“Klaus. Don’t.” 

“Why not?” 

“It’s not who you are.” 

Klaus emptied his pockets. He had to have something, Anything. Please, just a few bucks. 

Nope. No cash. 

“Fuck!” 

“Stop it!” 

Vanya grabbed his wrists. He made some guttural noise of protest, but didn’t push it farther, not knowing how far his sister was willing to go to make him stop. She held on tightly till he was deemed calm enough to be let go. 

He fell back to his bed. It gave him no comfort. He itched his arms, at first lightly, then vigorously till they turned bright pink. 

“V, the bottom drawer.” 

“What?” 

“Candy! I need the candies.” 

Opening the bottom drawer of his dresser she fished around till her fingers hit plastic. She pulled out a bag full of assorted candies and quickly rushed it to Klaus. 

The man ripped the bag open, spilling it onto his belly. He grabbed something random and popped it in his mouth, crumpling the wrapper and letting it slide off him. His tongue savored the cherry sweetness that filled his mouth and turned his saliva to syrup. 

“Better?” She asked gently. 

“Not really.” 

Vanya meant well. Klaus knew that much. 

“This is weird, Klaus.” 

He let his head roll to the left as he laid it on the pillow. “What is?” 

“You never care about anything anyone says to you, let alone what _Luther_ says.” 

“That was the drugs.”

Vanya took a seat on the edge of the bed. He wasn’t sure how long she sat there, or how long he shoveled candy into his mouth, but the silence didn’t feel deafening. No, it was a nice quiet, the kind of quiet he could only get from her. Their silence was understanding in nature. 

Her hand rested on his ankle. He didn’t mind. 

“I like you this way.” 

Klaus yawned. “Do you?” 

“Yes.” She said. Birds chirped outside the window. “You’re still you, but you think, and you listen. It’s just… nice. I don’t know if anyone’s told you.” 

He pondered it. She didn’t have to stay here, and she didn’t have to say these things. He didn’t really get why she would, but who would he be if he questioned? 

“Thanks.” He said, and swiped the wrappers off his abdomen. They just fell between the bed and the wall. “I bet my breath doesn’t smell like ass either.” 

Vanya smiled. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it as she heard rushed footsteps coming toward the door. Five appeared in the doorway. His dark hair was tousled, and his eyes were a little too wide. He fixed his suit quickly, then cleared his throat in an awkward fashion. 

“Can we have a minute?” 

She looked to Klaus. He lazily nodded in approval as he chewed the last tootsie roll. Then, she was up, and gone quicker than he could realize. Quiet girl. 

The door closed with a gentle click. Klaus couldn’t keep his eyes open, they were too heavy. So heavy. Everything felt that way lately. His chest, his heart, his head. It all forced him into a sleep he couldn’t seem to wake up from. Sugar only gave him a little if he ate it in large amounts. That high, the one he used to feel so vividly, was so far away from him now he couldn’t grasp it if he wanted to. He wanted to, badly. Why did he let it go again? 

“Klaus.” 

Five was kneeling beside the bed. His arm rested across Klaus’ lower half. When did that get there? 

“Are you okay? Luther’s being… I know. But he’s just-he’s-” 

“Shhh.” Klaus said. He put a finger to Five’s lips. “Don’t mention him.” 

Five took a deep breath. His hand grabbed hold of Klaus’, holding it tightly, resting it on his stomach. Klaus felt the need to sit up. Something about the tension in Five’s eyes demanded it. 

“I feel like I’m not being honest with you.” 

“Hm?” 

“I’m not being honest. Not with my feelings, or with anyone.” 

Klaus looked for traces of sincerity. The man only had sincerity, it seemed, so he moved his body to the wall and patted the small, empty spot on his bed. Five hesitated, but he eventually crawled his way up there. He laid on his side to face Klaus. His eyes, usually clinically cold, were starting to waver. 

“I’m not good to you. I know.” He started. Five grabbed hold of Klaus’ hand, and they moved closer to each other. “I’m trying to be. But I think, after all this time, it’s just not possible.” 

He cupped the man’s cheek and ran a thumb over his pale face. “Why’s that?” 

“I’m going to live longer than anyone ever has. I spent 45 years-” 

“In the apocalypse. We know.” 

Five scoffed. “Thanks. 45 years, and then some with the Commission. God, I can barely sleep. It’s like being normal is just, Hell.” 

“Is being with me Hell?” 

They stared. Klaus thought he knew the answer, but he couldn’t say for sure. Five was being vulnerable, yet his body was still stiff, closed off. 

“That’s what I’m saying.” Five said. “You’re the only person I want, because with you, it isn’t Hell. With you, I can, I just… I _can_ , and it’s bad. It’s so fucking bad.” 

Five clenched the front of his suit. Klaus could feel a cold sweat start to build on his face. 

“I get it. I’m like your drug.” 

Yep. His eyes widened in realization, then softened in acceptance. Five just nodded and closed his eyes. “That’s really funny.” 

Klaus laughed for him. Five chuckled, only a little bit. 

“And you need to cut me off till you can deal with it!” 

He stopped chuckling. Klaus’ laughs slowed to a stop. They both laid there, facing each other, at least one hand touching the other. He wanted to stay like this and watch Five’s body slowly let itself become more vulnerable, and kiss his lips till they both got bored and drifted into a lazy morning nap. Maybe they could, just for a little while, and forget about anything else. Everyone else. 

“You need to.” 

“I know.” Five said. He sounded like he just whimpered. 

“But it doesn’t have to be now.” 

Silence. 

Klaus closed his eyes and listened to the birds till he felt Five’s chapped lips on his. He opened them up again just to stare as they kissed softly. His were open, too. They watched each other, neither knowing when it was okay to stop, and neither caring. 

He couldn’t remember how long they went at it. Their eyes eventually closed, and their bodies eventually intertwined, and their lips eventually went numb, slick with saliva that seemed to get all over their faces. But that passage of time was lost on Klaus. All he could remember was being completely enveloped in everything Five had to offer. 

And for the first time in a long time, it felt right.


	12. A/N

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Authors note bout the direction of the story?

Hey all. It’s been a while since I last updated this fic, and to be honest I haven’t even started chapter twelve. I’m not sure where to go from here, which direction would be most interesting, etc. 

Im still wanting to finish this. I’m passionate about it, but I’ve hit a creative slump on how to proceed with the same story. That being said, the twelfth chapter will come out in July, when I’ve had more time to think it over. 

Thank you for the support and all the comments. They encourage me and I appreciate you all! 

\- Moon


End file.
